Conflict and Cultural Violence in Colombia. Transformation Proposals from the School
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Conflict and cultural violence in Colombia. Transformation proposals from the school Noemi Ordás García Resumen Abstract ste artículo relata una experiencia exitosa de his article narrates a successful experience of transformación de la violencia en un municipio transforming violence in a rural town in Erural de Colombia, mediante la intervención TColombia. It was made through the pedagogi- pedagógica en resolución de conflictos en comu- cal intervention in conflicts’ resolution within educa- nidades educativas afectadas por altos índices de vio- tional communities affected by high rates of direct, lencia directa, estructural y cultural. Considerando el structural, and cultural violence. Considering the conflicto desde una perspectiva crítica y positiva, conflict from a critical and positive perspective, the donde éste no es sólo inherente al ser humano y las purpose is to overcome the violence culture through organizaciones sociales sino que, además, es un ele- building, reeling off, and reassignment of meaning to mento necesario para la transformación de la the subjective dimensions of social actors, to their sociedad, el objetivo es superar la cultura de la violen- practices and discourses and, in this way, to the cia, a través de la construcción, deconstrucción y action values and patterns, which nourish the struc- resignificación de las dimensiones subjetivas de los tural and direct violence in Colombia. And this is so actores sociales, de sus prácticas y sus discursos y, de because conflict is not only inherent to the human esta forma, de las normas, valores y pautas de acción, being and to social organizations, but also because, que son la raíz que alimenta la violencia estructural y moreover, it is an element necessary to transform directa en Colombia. society. NOEMI ORDÁS GARCÍA Socióloga y conflictóloga, ha trabajado en diferentes países de Europa y América Latina en los ámbitos de la ayuda humanitaria, la investigación y la educación para la paz. Actualmente trabaja en la organización educativa Intercultura, es consultora de los posgrados en Conflic- tología de la UOC y asesora al Programa para la Prevención de la Violencia en el municipio de El Retiro, en Colombia. [email protected] CONFLICTOLOGY, NUM 1, SEPTEMBER 2009 17 To the child boys and girls, the young, the teachers, the mothers and fathers of the Rural Educational Centre Carrizales, town of El Retiro, Colombia. rom suffocation and height I see the fear tition against the other one, however many heads have of the sleepy city/ In the air nothing can to roll, by the patriarchal-authoritative culture,3 and by “Fbe guessed about the violence within the submission to the pater-messiah4 and to the idol.5 which everything spins/ Colombia goes on and the In line with this, nowadays most part of Colombian world knows nothing/ And, if it knows, it forgets/ children and youngsters form their own arguments, And everything goes on spinning/ Dying everyday is valuations, action patterns and social relationships a part of life”1 which are coherent with the violence they have suffe- Colombia is a country that generates contradictory red concerning the fairness of revenge. Violence is a feelings and its thousand different realities bring to way to being recognised and to achieving power. They confusion, shatter preconceptions and challenge cer- consider that the strong and powerful ones have the tainties. It is a country that hosts numerous direct, power to make decisions about the life of the others. structural, and cultural conflicts. The weakest ones are They do not appeal to the authority because they do scourged by misery, hunger, social inequity, despair and not trust in it or because they consider it as a shame- fear. Childhood is stained with violence within the ful act. They consider as good someone who does jus- family, in the community, at school and in society. And tice, no matter the means he may use. They think that too many generations have lived without enjoying the lies are a useful mean. They hold authoritarian posi- celebration of peace. In spite of that, paradoxically, tions. They refuse assuming social responsibilities and most part of the population lives as if nothing abnor- supporting other people in risky situations. They cre- mal would happen, or as if the end of violence would ate their own laws, and the like.6 All these values per- be imminent. Nevertheless, violence, in all its different petuate structural7 and direct8 violence. Therefore, if expressions always driven to the disallowance of the what we want to do is to transform the structures and symbolic or real other one, beats in every daily space. to overcome the violences in this country, it is neces- The conflict dynamics prevailing in Colombia are sary to revise the psycho-cultural9 elements by driving pervaded by a culture of denying the different one, by our efforts towards the transformation of all the intolerance, xenophobia, ethnocentrism,2 individua- social actors. In other words, we cannot postpone lism and profit making. They are pervaded by compe- facing cultural violence. 1 Niños. Pedro Guerra. 2 “We find three possible variations of ethnocentrism: the other one has an inferior moral (or set of habits) because he lives far away, because he is poor or because he belongs to another generation”, Gutiérrez Sanín, Francisco, p. 182. 3 The assignment of a superior position for men and of an inferior one for women. 4 Charismatic leader sent by God who was to become the liberator, putting the end to a period perceived as a negative one and inaugurating another one characterized by richness and prosperity. It means the submission to a superior being that liberates the individual from his free- dom of decision and, at the same time, moves him away from his responsibility towards the other one. 5 It seems, on many occasions, that the love for the nation, the flag, the State, God or freedom is above the care for others, as if the human being were an anonymous being. 6 Saldarriaga Vélez, Jaime Alberto, p.11. 7 Social exclusion, inequality, illiteracy, infrastructure problems, access to goods and services, the immobilism perpetuating the gap between social classes, the State’s absence, corruption, the lack of employment and education opportunities, lack of sufficient economic revenues, impunity, unequal distribution of property, etcetera. 8 Human rights’ abuses, homicides, forced abductions, kidnappings, rape, sexist violence (physical, psychological or sexual mistreatment), tor- ture, minors’ mistreatment, child work, etcetera. 9 That is to say, “those“ perceptions, images, and meanings about the world that are built and shared with others within the frame of a com- mon culture.” Ariza, A. y Pulecio, C., p. 11. 18 CONFLICTOLOGY, NUM 1, SEPTEMBER 2009 NOEMI ORDÁS GARCÍA CONFLICT AND CULTURAL VIOLENCE IN COLOMBIA. TRANSFORMATION PROPOSALS Program of Conflict Resolution and Violence school abandon, as well as on the teachers’ lack of Prevention at the rural schools of El Retiro10 appropriate preparation and lack of resources to face The program was born at the end of 2007 with the the conflict situations their pupils bring in. aim to transform the war culture prevailing in Colombia The general purpose of the program is to imple- into a culture of peace, starting from three important ment new pedagogical practices in the town’s rural premises: schools integrating the whole educational community 1) After the family, the school is the main institution and having, as main axis, the management and regula- where the Colombian population is socialized and whe- tion of conflicts. This should be done by fostering re it assimilates action values and patterns; 2) the con- democratic and peaceful coexistence values in order to flict at school is an opportunity to reassign a meaning to form autonomous, responsible, and engaged indivi- the social practices of its authors; and 3) if we want to duals, who should be the real builders of a peace cultu- make an impact on the socialization of children and re and should be able to express the tensions and diffe- youngsters, it is necessary to involve in it all the mem- rences without having recourse to violence. The speci- bers of the educational community: pupils, teachers, fic purposes of the intervention are: 1) To create a cons- fathers and mothers. tructive and peaceful school atmosphere using the con- The program is carried out in El Retiro, a town 30 flict in a didactic way, from a non-violent and democra- Km. far from Medellín. Being the second town in tic perspective, so that, students learn to identify con- Colombia after Bogotá, it has 18.391 inhabitants flicts, to practice conflicts’ transformation abilities, and 57.88% of which (10,644 people) live in the rural area to figure out situations alternative to the known ones, and 3,000 live in total misery (less than a dollar per day). with a positive and optimistic attitude towards life. 2) To Apart from these high rates in poverty, the town has train rural teachers in new pedagogic practices of con- suffered the incursion of armed groups and the forced flicts’ transformation in order to improve coexistence at displacement because of the political, economical and school. 3) With those youngsters sent to the Family social violence afflicting Colombia. It is noteworthy, Commission because of their non-compliance with the among the main dynamics affecting the town,11 the pre- school and community rules, to work on non-violent sence of epidemiologic illnesses and malnutrition, the methodologies for conflicts’ transformation and to fos- violence of armed groups outside the law, the fear and ter coexistence and democratic values and principles. 4) the lack of confidence in the community, the violence To create Family Schools where the fathers and mothers within the family, sexual abuses on minors, high rates of interact, reflect on their practices, exchange knowledge alcohol abuse and consumption of psychoactive subs- and learn to solve problems in groups, putting empha- tances, unemployment, deterioration of neighbours’ sis on the unlearning of violence in the community, cul- coexistence, the poor connection of the population to tural, school and familiar life.